Distributing conveyer system for oval cans



Nov. 22, 1949 J. ALBERTOL! 7 2,488,888

DISTRIBUTING CONVEYER SYSTEM FOR OVAL CANS Filed Jan. 21, 1 946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I l l INVENTOR. JOHN ALBERTOL/ BY I ATT'Y.

Nov. 22, 1949 J. ALBERTQL. 2,488,888

DISTRIBUTING CONVEYER SYSTEM FOR OVAL CANS Filed Jan.' 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 YJON ALBERTO/.1

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Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

DISTRIBUTING CONVEYER SYSTEM FOR OVAL CANS John Albertoli, San Francisco, Calif. 7

Application January 21, 1946, Serial No. 642,488

3 Claims.

This invention relates to conveyors for oval or rectangular-shaped cans and has particular reference to the relatively shallow cans used for packing fish such as sardines.

The principal object of this invention is to provide means whereby cans may be fed to a continuously moving conveyor and from this conveyor be distributed at various points along the path of movement in the proper position so as to feed downwardly through discharge chutes to a point of use.

- A further object of this invention is to provide means for delivering cans from the lower flight of the conveyor to the upper flight thereof.

' A further object is to provide means for preventing the jamming of the cans as they pass from one portion of the line of movement to another as for instance in moving over one of the chutes which is full of cans.

A further object is to provide means for preventing the over-filling of the conveyor when all of the chutes have become filled.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character which may be incorporated in the usual canning machinery without materially altering its construction.

. A further object is to produce a device of this character which is economical to manufacture and install.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description. In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals,

are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the feeding end of the conveyor, portions thereof being in crosssection.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite end of the conveyor and showing the manner in which the cans are delivered from the lower flight to the upper flight.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

In the packing of fish or any other commodity it has been customary in canneries to provide long work tables at which the packers sit and place the commodity in the cans, and it is therefore necessary to deliver to the packers cans of the proper size and shape for the commodity being packed.

Various means have been devised for delivering these cans to the work area where they will be convenient for the packer to pick up, fill and deliver; but, due to the odd shape of oval and oblong cans, and particularly the relatively shallow type, difiiculty has been experienced in the delivery of these cans by a conveyor system.

Applicant has, therefore, devised a machine wherein a conveyor arrangement delivers these odd shaped cans in a most eflicient manner.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be noted that the numeral 5 designates a portion of the frame of a canning machine upon which is positioned spaced pulleys 6 and I, over which an endless conveyor belt 6 passes; This conveyor belt is divided, for the purpose of description, into two portions, the top-run portion 9, and'the bottomrun portion II.

Positioned beneath the portion H and spaced parallel therewith is a series of short conveyors l2, hereafter referred to as intermittent conveyors, each one of which consists of a relatively short V-belt, which passes around spaced pulleys I3 and I4. These pulleys are all rotated in the same direction, the belts l2, traveling at the same speed as the conveyor 8.

It will be noted that the space between the adjacent ends of the adjacent conveyors l2 provides the openings through which cans may pass into discharge chutes directly below and designated at It.

In order to convey cans from the bottom run of the conveyor to thetop run I provide a chain H, which is reeved over pulleys l8, 19, a drive sprocket 2|, and a chain tightening idler 22 of of conventional spring pressed form. The wheels 18 and I9 are so arranged that they are in a position that will causethe chain H to belly around the end of the conveyor and to exert pressure between one side of the can and the conveyor belt 8, which contacts the opposite side of the can. All of the pulleys and conveyors are driven at the proper speed by any convenient source of power.

In order to feed cans to the conveyor I provide a delivery chute 23, the bottom part of which has a stop 24 extending into the path of movement of the cans issuing from the bottom of the delivery chute. This stop is normally'held in extending or normal position by a spring 26.

A pull-rod 21 connects to the stop 24 and to one arm 28 of a bell crank lever 29, pivoted on the m 5,35- y eta harms 1; a m

extending above and substantially parallel with the upper flight portion 9 of the conveyor belt 8.

A counter-weight is shown at 33 which may be adjusted in the manner which is obvious.

It is, of course, also obvious that a frame similar to the frame 5 is positioned parallel therewith, so that the conveyors will move therebetween the other portion of the frame being shown at 34 in Fig. 3.

Mounted oneach of the shafts which support the pulleys [3 are loose discs, as shown at. 36 and 31, the purpose of which is to prevent the can from jamming if the discharge chute is full; as will b later described.

The result of this construction is that when the cans are delivered through the delivery chute 23, the cans will feed. downwardly'therethrough, past the stop 24, which at this time will be retracted, for the reason that there are no cans on the top run of the conveyor 8, and the'arm 3Zwill be over-balancing the counter weight 33, and therefore, depressed to assist the spring 26.

Cans will, therefore, drop onto the first of theintermittent conveyorbelts l2, and will move toward the right of the drawing, passing along in contact with: the bottom run portion ll of the conveyor belt 8.

As soon as a cartreaches the first discharge chute I6 the can will drop 'thereinto, because the pulleys I3 and I4 at the top of the chute are revolving in opposite directions, as far as their adjacent can-contacting surfaces areconcerned, and the can will be turned endwise so as to feed downwardly-into the chute.

As-the first chute becomes filled' the following cans will first dip downwardly and contact the upper can inthe full chute; then they will contact the discs and 31 and slide'upwardly there-- over, due to the pressure of the following cans.

relatively non-skid surface-0f the next belt l2,

therebeing a slight increase in speed of move-' ment' of the can as it dips intothe chute and out again. Without the discs the cans have a tendency to occasionally jam.

In this manner each of the discharge chutes will becomefill'ed and any further cans will then turn" upwardly, contacting the chain H, which will hold-L the cans in contact with the end of the belt 8 in passing around the pulley 1, thus moving the cans from the bottom-flight to" the top-flight position;

The cans will now proceed along the top-run portion 9- of the belt-conveyor until they pass beneath the arm 32 of the bell-crank lever 29, which will cause the arm 28 to actuate th pull rod 21: and cause the stop 24 to move into the chute against theaction of the spring 26 and thus stop the further delivery of cans to theconveyor as long as there are any cans on the top-run.

As: the packers now take the cans out of the discharge chutes I6; the cans in the chutes, moving downwardly, will make room for further cans delivered by the intermittent conveyors. As the cans on the top-run are used, the arm 32 of the bell crank lever will drop and permit the further feeding of cans to the conveyor.

As the-cans pass down the chutes I-6 they will pass amarker-wheel A, which will print upon the sideof the can any desired mark so as to identify the packer; thus enabling inspectors to trace any can to-a particular packer. This marker mechanism is described in my co-pending application Serial No. 462,489 granted February 18, 1947, as Patent No. 2,415,946, filed on even date herewith. The cans are designated by the letter B.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a device which will accomplish all of the objects above set forth.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a can feeding machine for oval cans, a pair of belt pulleys horizontally spaced, an endless belt trained around said belt pulleys, a pair-of. closely spaced belt pulleys below one of the first. belt pulleys, an endless belt trained. around: the second pair of belt pulleys, a third pair of widely spaced; belt pulleys horizontally spaced fromthe secondbelt, a third endless belt trained around said third pair of belt pulleys; said belts having upper andlower runs with.

the upper runs of second and third belts spaced: below the lower run of the fi'rstbelt, a chain and.

sprocket drive for said belts causing the upper.

discs on said shafts for engaging cans as they pass ofi the second belt and pass onto the upper run of said first belt, and means to drive the adjacent part of said chain in parallel direction with the first belt.

2. In a can feeding machine for oval cans, a pair of belt pulleys horizontally spaced, an endless belt trained around said belt pulleys, a pair of closely spaced belt pulleys below one of the first belt pulleys, an endless belt trained around the second pair of belt pulleys, a third pair of widely' spaced belt pulleys horizontally spaced from the second belt, a third endless belt trained around said thirdpair of belt pulleys said belts having upper and lower runs with the-upper runs of sec- 0nd and third belts spaced below the lower run of the-first belt, a chain and sprocket drive for said.

belts causing the upper run of the third belt to travel towards the second belt and the upper run of the third belt and lower run of the first belt to travel in the same direction, a pair of vertically' spaced pulleys equally spaced radially from the first belt at its end adjacent the second belt, a chain meshing with said pair of pulleys, shafts carrying said pulleys, discs on said shafts for engaging cans as they pass off the second belt and pass onto the upper run of said first belt, a driving sprocket rotating with.

the adjacent belt pulley oi the first pair, a driven sprocket, a chain connecting the driving and. driven sprocket, a second driving sprocket revolving with said driven sprocket and meshing with the chain carried by the first pair of sprocketsand a chain tightener idler engaging. the last mentioned chain.

3. In a can feeding machine for oval cans, a. pair ofbelt pulleys horizontally spaced. an end-- less belt trained around said belt pulleys, a pair 5 of closely spaced belt pulleys below one of the first belt pulleys, an endless belt trained around the second pair of belt pulleys, a third pair of widely spaced belt pulleys horizontally spaced from the second belt, a third endless belt trained around said third pair of belt pulleys said belts having upper and lower runs with the upper runs of second and third belts spaced below the lower run of the first belt, a chain and sprocket drive for said belts causing the upper run of the third belt to travel towards the second belt and the upper run of the third belt and lower run of the first belt to travel in the same direction, a pair of vertically spaced pulleys equally spaced radially from the first belt at its end adjacent the second belt, a chain meshing with said pair of pulleys, shafts carrying said pulleys, a driving sprocket rotating with the adjacent belt pulley of the first pair, a driven sprocket, a chain connect- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,355,091 Davies Oct. 5, 1920 1,535,539 Mitton Apr. 28, 1925 1,802,546 Albertoli Apr. 28, 1931 1,921,577 Nelson Aug. 8, 1933 2,402,097 Sproker June 11, 1946 

